It was nowhere near perfect, but Villanova did what it needed to pick up its first Patriot League victory on Saturday night.
Villanova (1-1, 1-1 Patriot League) went on the road to take on conference opponent Bucknell. The Wildcats were coming off a devastating season-opening loss and needed a win to get back on track.
After Villanova took a two-possession lead, Bucknell (0-2, 0-2) battled back to set up a thrilling fourth quarter. With the help of a tipped field goal, Villanova held off the Bison in the fourth quarter to win, 17-16.
Villanova was able to lead Bucknell at halftime, 14-0, after wide receiver Braden Reed collected a pair of passing touchdowns from graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide. On the other side of the ball, Villanova’s defense was able to limit Bucknell to 100 yards of total first-half offense.
Reed, a sophomore, led all Villanova receivers with five receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Brandon Binkowski totaled 71 yards on three receptions, including a 27-yard reception on a drive that ended in a touchdown.
Delaware County native and Strath Haven graduate Sam Milligan led all Bucknell receivers with 13 receptions for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Milligan tied the program’s record for touchdown receptions.
McQuaide was able to clean up his passing game after last week, completing 13 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, McQuaide threw three interceptions against William & Mary after throwing only four all of last season.
Garrett Rogan fills in without missing a beat
After Villanova starting linebacker Christian Caballero went down with an injury and did not return to the game, Garrett Rogan entered from the sidelines.
Rogan collected seven total tackles (five solo) and the Wildcats’ lone pass breakup while filling in for Caballero. However, Rogan’s big play came on Bucknell’s 29-yard field goal attempt to take the lead with 1 minute, 57 seconds remaining.
With his right hand wrapped in a club cast, Rogan was able to get a piece of the ball as Bucknell kicker Juan Garanton attempted a 29-yard field goal that would have given Bucknell a 19-17 lead with under two minutes left in regulation. Rogan’s tip was enough for the ball to miss the uprights as it went wide left.
Against William & Mary last week, Rogan had seven total tackles (two solo) and one tackle for a loss.
Last season, Rogan played in 15 games for the Wildcats and tallied 33 tackles (25 solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, and three pass break-ups.
Wildcats clean up penalties and turnovers
Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante always puts a big emphasis on winning the turnover and penalty battles, and that was no different going into this weekend.
The Wildcats gave up only 45 yards on five penalties after giving up 15 penalties for 107 yards against William & Mary last week.
“You’re going to have a couple of penalties during the course of the game,” Ferrante told The Inquirer before the Bucknell game. “When you can put 15 of them together, that’s a big deal.”
Villanova did not turn the ball over against Bucknell, despite a single fumble from a snap that flew over McQuaide’s head in the second quarter. Bucknell also did not record a turnover.
Villanova’s zero turnovers this week are in contrast to its four last week (five if the botched onside kick recovery counted, which it should have, according to Ferrante).
“If you tell me we’re going to have a turnover a game, we’re going to have 11, 12 turnovers by the end of the year, that’s probably a pretty good year. Right now we’re on pace to have 60 if we do five a game. That’s not a good year.”
Villanova has less than a week to prepare for its annual FBS matchup, which will be against Louisville on Sept. 11 (7 p.m., ESPN/ACCN). Louisville was ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll.
It will be a tight turnaround for Louisville, which plays Ole Miss on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Cardinals will have just four days between games.
It will be the first time in history that the two programs will share the same field.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It’s hard to imagine a better start to Matt Campbell’s time as head coach at Penn State.
Everything clicked for the Nittany Lions in a 45-0 shoutout of Marshall on Saturday, highlighted by an incredible performance from sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard.
Penn State’s (1-0) first game under defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn was a big one, as the Thundering Herd (0-1) were unable to get anything going in their first matchup against Penn State since 1930.
“So much credit goes to Coach Lynn and that defensive style,” Campbell said postgame. “I think the ability to try to be multiple in terms of what we showed them, but simple in terms of our ability to execute, especially in Game 1, and I think that really evolved over the last two weeks. I just thought our guys were really keyed in.”
Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht looks to throw a pass against Marshall during the second quarter of Saturday’s game.Barry Reeger
Starting wide receivers shine
The wide receiver position has been a serious point of contention for Penn State in recent years. From zero catches in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss in 2024 to only one receiver surpassing 500 yards last season, it has been a rough go lately at the position.
Howard, fifth-year Chase Sowell, and junior Brett Eskildsen provided hope that those struggles might be behind them.
Howard led with 161 receiving yards, including 123 in the first half. He’s the first Penn State wide receiver with 150 yards in a single game since Parker Washington had 179 against Ohio State in 2022.
The Penn State returnee was named an MVP of fall camp by offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser this week, an honor he lived up to on Saturday. Howard played in nine games as a freshman last season and totaled 133 yards, a mark he surpassed in his first appearance of 2026.
“The first guy in the facility catching the jugs is Koby Howard, and that’s been that way since spring ball,” Campbell said. “That’s been that way almost every day in the summer, and that hasn’t wavered as we’ve gone into the start of the season. And I think Koby’s work ethic allows him to have real confidence.”
Eskildsen, who is known as the speedster of the group, had a score of his own, taking a screen 25 yards to the end zone in the first quarter. Sowell was the one who got things started, however, with the first two catches of the game.
Zay Robinson got in on the action as well, as the redshirt freshman had a 39-yard touchdown to open the second half.
The receivers’ strong day helped quarterback Rocco Becht finish his Penn State debut, which concluded with eight minutes left in the third quarter. Becht threw for 272 yards, four touchdowns, and had a 72% completion percentage.
“I thought Rocco was really efficient today in terms of, you were getting eight, nine guys in the box,” Campbell said. “You were getting a lot of pressure, kind of didn’t know exactly what to expect. I thought he was outstanding today.”
Freshman Josiah Zayas starts
As the video board announced Penn State’s Week 1 starters, a surprising name was included among the defensive backs — freshman cornerback Josiah Zayas.
It was expected that senior Zion Tracy, who Campbell referred to as one of the best players he’s ever coached this spring, would start as the slot cornerback. Instead, it was Zayas, who’s earned plenty of praise since his arrival in the spring.
Penn State linebacker Caleb Bacon (10) tackles Marshall quarterback Khalil Wilkins (4) on Saturday.Barry Reeger
Zayas finished with two solo tackles for loss, making him one of just three defensive players to have a tackle for loss on Saturday. He did have one rookie slip-up — a holding penalty to extend a Marshall drive — but it was a solid first appearance overall.
“Some freshmen hit that freshman wall and can’t get past it,” cornerback Daryus Dixson said. “I feel like he’s been elevating himself since Day 1 of fall camp, just trying to learn the playbook more and trying to find ways to really help us in any type of way he can.”
Up next
Penn State will face Temple at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday (noon, ESPN). The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series, 40-4-1. The last meeting was in 2016 at Beaver Stadium, where Penn State won, 34-27.
Temple kicked off its much-anticipated 2026 season on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field. While many of the program’s burning questions remain unanswered, the Owls still delivered a strong performance in nearly every facet of the game to fuel a 38-14 win over FCS opponent Rhode Island.
Temple paired balanced production from both quarterback contenders with a breakout performance in the backfield, while its defense stymied the defending Coastal Athletic Association champions in the second half.
“We did a really good job at keeping them down in the second half,” said Owls coach K.C. Keeler. “We held them to a second-half shutout, and I’m happy with a lot of parts of this performance.”
Hunter Smith (29) runs through Rhode Island’s defense during the first half of Saturday’s game.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
The quarterback rotation
After an offseason of speculation about which quarterback would take the field for Temple, Keeler went with both — Jaxon Smolik at quarterback and Ajani Sheppard at running back.
Smolik shuffled the ball to Sheppard, who made the on-the-run throw to Colin Chase, who took it 21 yards.
That set up a 19-yard run from Keveun Mason, which was followed by an 18-yard strike from Smolik to Jayce Freeman, putting the Owls up, 7-0, with not even three minutes into the first quarter.
Temple quarterback Jaxon Smolik (14) runs as Rhode Island’s Trey Lubin looks to make a tackle on Saturday. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
The Owls scored two more times in the half, with Smolik having control on all three scoring drives.
Both Sheppard-led drives in the first half ended with punts, while Smolik’s inaugural drive of the second was thwarted when the Penn State transfer fumbled trying to escape a sack.
“It’s an ongoing competition,” said Keeler. “It would be a disservice to those guys for me to name anyone right now. That’s [offensive coordinator] Tyler [Walker’s] job, and he’s handling that.”
Sheppard went on to lead the Owls’ only scoring drive of the second half.
Defensive tone
Since the onset of spring camp, offensive and defensive coaches alike have praised Temple’s defense at every chance.
The Owls’ defense backed up that praise in their first opportunity of the season. After letting up a touchdown on Rhode Island’s opening drive, Temple forced two punts and saw sophomore Jamarcus Pierre take a 35-yard interception into the end zone to take a 17-7 lead.
The second half began with Tyree Alualu putting an end to the Rams’ first drive with any promise when he gave Temple its second pick-six of the day, taking the score back 63 yards and claiming a 38-14 lead.
Jordan Montgomery forced a fumble recovered by Bryson Goodwin late in the game, as the defense finished with three turnovers.
Second-team walk-on linebacker Reggie Jones, who has grown a social media following for his series, “Road to One Tackle,” got in on the defensive festivities as well and recorded his first career tackle, taking down Rams wideout Marquise Buchanan on a short crossing route midway through the fourth quarter.
Keveun Mason (center) scored twice against Rhode Island on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
The Keveun Mason game
Projected first-team running back Sam Brown sat out of the Owls’ opening game despite being a full participant in team warm-ups, paving the way for Mason to receive the bulk of the snaps.
Mason carried the ball 20 times and broke off a couple of big runs early before punching in his first score of the year from one yard out to give Temple a 24-14 halftime lead just before time expired.
Mason added another score in the second half, running through a couple of defenders to find the end zone. He’d finish the day with 158 yards and two touchdowns.
Up next
Temple will prep for its much-anticipated home matchup with Penn State when the Nittany Lions visit South Philadelphia on Sept. 12 (noon, ESPN).
Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante sat behind his large wooden desk on Thursday. He peered out the window to his left and looked at Villanova Stadium. It was the site of the Wildcats’ agonizing season-opening loss to William & Mary last week.
Villanova led William & Mary by 10 points with 58 seconds remaining in regulation. Then a slew of mistakes by the Wildcats allowed William & Mary to make a field goal, recover an onside kick, score a touchdown, intercept Villanova, and kick a game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired.
As much as Ferrante strives to move on from games, this one stuck with him, and not by choice. While Villanova is preparing for Saturday’s Patriot League matchup at Bucknell (6 p.m., ESPN+), radio shows and media interviews have peppered Ferrante with the same questions about the season-opening loss.
“We want to try to follow our own advice as coaches,” Ferrante said. “Learn from it, digest it the day after, celebrate the victories, mourn the losses, 24 hour rule, come in the next day, make the corrections, and then put it in the rearview and move on. So I’m hoping that’s what our team and our staff have done.”
To shorten it, Ferrante simply said: “We took the L, but the L stands for learn.”
There are still 11 regular season games left on Villanova’s schedule, beginning with Bucknell (0-1, 0-1 Patriot League) on the road on Saturday.
Villanova running back Isaiah Ragland finds daylight against William & Mary’s defense in last week’s season opener.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Villanova has not started seasons quickly in recent years. The Wildcats previously showed mental lapses on both sides of the ball, even in wins. Those errors lessened as those seasons progressed, especially last year after Villanova suffered a 51-33 blowout loss to Monmouth in Week 3. The Wildcats responded with an 11-game win streak to parlay a run to the FCS playoff semifinals.
Ferrante does not view seasons game-by-game or even half-to-half. He views the season in the form of each play, referencing the words of recent champions in Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
“Cignetti says the same thing,” Ferrante said. “Every play has a life of its own. And once that play’s over, you have to get to the next play, regardless of what happened. Jalen Brunson came down, and he popped into our Ocean City practice. He basically said the same thing. Take one play at a time, regardless of the outcome of that play, put it in the rearview and get to the next play.”
In preparation for this weekend, Villanova has prioritized cleaning up the penalties after committing 15 for 107 yards against William & Mary. In comparison, William & Mary had three penalties for 22 yards.
Villanova also lost the turnover battle, 4-1.
“You’re going to have a couple of penalties during the course of the game,” Ferrante said. “When you can put 15 of them together, that’s a big deal. … If you tell me we’re going to have a turnover a game, we’re going to have 11, 12 turnovers by the end of the year, that’s probably a pretty good year. Right now we’re on pace to have 60 if we do five a game. That’s not a good year.”
Villanova wide receiver Brandon Binkowski tips the football that was intercepted by William & Mary defensive back Cade Ellis (right), one of four Wildcats turnovers last Friday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
However, there is still good that came out of the loss for Ferrante, notably the team’s tackling.
In previous seasons, the Wildcats struggled early on with tackling in the open field, attributed to the lack of live tackling during the preseason.
“One of the positives, I thought, looking at previous opening games is we looked fast, and our tackling was a little better than some preseason or early games in previous years,” Ferrante said. “So I think that’s something we can build off of. But one week to the next is all you got. And this one will come up a lot faster. You don’t have all preseason to get ready for the next one.”
Villanova last faced Bucknell in 2021, when the Wildcats dominated the Bison, 55-3. A lot has changed since then. Bucknell named Jeff Behrman its 28th head coach earlier this year.
“This one might even be a little trickier than the opener because we haven’t played Bucknell in a long time and they have a new coaching staff,” Ferrante said. “So all we have to go on is film from where they came from, John Carroll, a semifinal team from a year ago [in] Division III, and then last week’s Richmond game. … We think [Jeff Behrman will] run the same offense he ran at John Carroll.
“We’re excited for the challenge. We’re looking forward to going out there and playing better and putting a better product on the field than we did last week, collectively, at least for four quarters, and minimizing our mistakes.”
Temple almost reached a bowl game during K.C. Keeler’s first season. The Owls began their 2025 campaign 5-3 and needed one more win to be eligible, but four consecutive losses left them short of their first bowl appearance since 2019.
Keeler enters his second season with a revamped roster, higher expectations, and uncertainty at the sport’s most important position. Temple added 22 players through the transfer portal and plans to play quarterbacks Ajani Sheppard and Jaxon Smolik in its season opener on Saturday against Rhode Island at Lincoln Financial Field (2 p.m., ESPN+).
Before kickoff, here are five things to know about Temple’s key players, newcomers, schedule, and preseason expectations.
Both quarterbacks will get an opportunity
Temple’s well-documented quarterback battle will continue in the season opener.
Smolik and Sheppard have battled for the starting job since the spring and it has persisted through preseason camp. Both quarterbacks have seemingly struggled and thrived in unison, making any decision difficult for the Owls coaching staff.
Keeler has shown little urgency in naming a signal caller.
“Early on, I think it was sort of a battle, but they weren’t playing great,” Keeler said. “The quarterback play was just OK. Now, all of a sudden, they’ve both made dramatic improvements. I think we feel like we can live with two quarterbacks. I’m going to ask one of those guys to go out there and start the game, obviously. But I think it’s a little bit like last year — we had no idea. We had to go out there and put some stuff down, see where they were, and let somebody steal that job and give us some peace of mind.”
Jaxon Smolik will split reps in pocket with Ajani Sheppard in the season opener on Saturday.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Neither candidate has extensive college experience. Smolik appeared sparingly during three seasons at Penn State and never attempted a collegiate pass. Sheppard played in five games across two seasons at Rutgers, completing both of his attempts for 23 yards, before missing the entire 2025 season at Washington State because of an injury.
Keeler faced a similar decision last season with Evan Simon and Gevani McCoy. Both were expected to play in the opener against Massachusetts, but Simon seized the job by throwing six touchdown passes in a 42-10 victory. Keeler will again lean on game action to produce separation.
Brown is healthy … kind of
Sam Brown enters Saturday’s matchup as the Owls’ starting running back, a role he carved out for himself in spring and fall camp.
Brown has been primarily healthy through the past six months, which is notable considering the fifth-year senior has yet to compete in a full season of his collegiate career. He suffered injuries in 2022, 2024, and 2025 at Rutgers.
Over the past two weeks — and for the first time since joining the Owls — Brown has been limited in practice. He did not participate in team or contact drills after taking a hard hit on Aug. 20.
Sam Brown will be Temple’s starting running back as long as he’s healthy.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
“It’s one of those things where we’re trying to protect Sam from Sam, because Sam is a compulsive worker,” Keeler said. “When you get into those situations, you just try to back him off. That’s what we’re trying to do — back him off a little bit and have a fresh version of him when we get to game day, and if we had a game today, he’d be playing.”
Assuming Brown takes the field on Saturday, it’ll be a huge boost for the offense.
Entering his second season, Keeler added several transfers and recruits in the offseason, but kept nearly all his returning starters, which is considered rare in today’s college football climate.
That effort comes from a culture shift in the wake of Keeler’s hiring. The Owls broke their streak of four consecutive 3-9 seasons last year.
In 2026, Keeler and company will be tasked with taking another step forward.
“I’ve driven this team really hard — maybe as hard as any team I’ve ever driven,” Keeler said. “I strongly believe in them. We have a lot of new players, and we had to get them up to the culture and how we do things. I don’t want to get to game day and, all of a sudden, we’re under some adversity or strife and don’t know how to handle those things. As a collective group — and me in particular — we pushed this team quite hard. I don’t think you push a team hard if you think its ceiling is right there. You push it hard when you think the ceiling is really high.”
Almost every great Temple football team has been spearheaded by a strong, gritty linebacker corps.
In the mid-2010s, Temple boasted names like Tyler Matakevich and Avery Williams. Al Golden’s teams featured Tahir Whitehead, while even Wayne Hardin’s 1970s glory-day teams had former pros, including Mike Curcio.
Now, the 2026 defense will be led by linebackers Eric Stuart and Curly Ordonez. Stuart was also selected as a defensive captain and awarded a single-digit for the season.
Linebacker Eric Stuart returns as Temple’s lead tackler from the 2025 season.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The defense wreaked havoc throughout preseason camp. On the defensive line, Keeler and defensive coordinator Brian Smith are planning to regularly rotate 10 players during games. The safety room is also deep, with Avery Powell and former Illinois defensive back Saboor Karriem leading the room.
“I feel like we have one of the best rooms,” Ordonez said. “We have guys and can go three or four deep. I just feel like there is no slack off. That’s one thing I see in our room, just how ready everyone is, no matter what, whenever we need them.”
A telling September awaits
After six months of facing each other, the Owls will finally get their first game action against Rhode Island. It will be a measuring stick for Temple’s nonconference schedule as the Rams are one of the FCS’ best squads.
Then, Temple will face No. 18 Penn State in Philadelphia in Week 2.
The rest of September includes a Week 3 matchup with one of the Mid-American Conference’s best teams, Toledo, which will also be Temple’s first road game. The Rockets won eight games last season and punched a ticket to the Boca Raton Bowl. Toledo was selected third in the MAC preseason coaches’ poll.
The month will conclude with Temple’s American Conference opener against Army at Lincoln Financial Field. The Owls lost, 14-13, in West Point, N.Y., last season after a potential game-winning field goal was blocked in the final seconds.
By the end of September, the Owls could show if they’re capable of reaching a bowl game.
During the spring, as Temple’s football team started to mesh together returning players and newcomers, via the transfer portal and high school recruits, Peter Clarke, the team’s standout tight end, gathered the entire offense together.
The gesture was one example of Clarke, one of the seven players to earn the single-digit demarcation this season, emerging as a vocal leader for a program looking to build on last season’s 5-7 finish.
“When it comes to Peter Clarke, I feel like he’s a natural born leader,” said Temple running back Sam Brown, who transferred to the program this spring. “When I got here, I saw that off the jump. He’s always taking account for things, making sure people are doing the right things, and he’s definitely a leader by example, by what he does on and off the field.”
Clarke is a key returner for Temple, which didn’t lose an eligible starter to the transfer portal earlier this year. The rising senior finished with a career-best 30 catches for 483 yards and six touchdowns last season and is one of the best returning tight ends this season, evidenced by his preseason accolades: the John Mackey Award watchlist, preseason first-team All-American Conference honors from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports, and All-America third team honors at Pro Football Network.
As the Owls prepare for their season opener on Saturday against Rhode Island (2 p.m., ESPN+), there will be a sense of continuity for the offense, even with a new quarterback under center with transfers Ajani Sheppard and Jaxon Smolik competing for the starting spot. Four of the five starting offensive linemen from last season return, along with wide receivers Jojo Bermudez and Colin Chase, in addition to Clarke.
Colin Chase (1) and Peter Clarke (88) are among the returning skill players from last season’s roster.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
“When you bring in 50-60 new guys every year, you’re having to reinstall not just the plays, but also the culture, the identity,” Clarke said. “Whereas when you keep everybody, you have position leaders in every group. You have guys who know what it takes and have been in those positions and can guide guys and bring them along a lot quicker. So it means we can [be] more quicker. … We have a big advantage in keeping the position leaders, keeping guys we played [with], and just reinstalling coaches and new guys that not necessarily starting from ground zero.”
Building foundational blocks
When K.C. Keeler took over the program 21 months ago after a 11-year run at Sam Houston State, he emphasized that Temple would not be “living in the transfer portal 100%,” and added that he doesn’t want a locker room full of mercenaries, where “guys [are] just here for a year or two, and there’s no fabric, there’s just no continuity.”
A key part of his plan to help turn the program around was building leadership and advisory board councils among the returning players, as a way to rebuild the team’s culture.
The message appears to be resonating. Clarke, who says leadership “comes natural to me,” is one of 11 seniors or fifth-year players who have remained on the roster since their freshman seasons and endured the coaching change from Stan Drayton to Keeler.
“Being a captain on my high school team and leading guys there and coming here and having an impact like I have, and then when success happens, staying at Temple and continuing to grow, helps me step into that [leadership] role,” Clarke said. “I love this program. I love my teammates, and I want this school and this community to bring the energy for us. … When I see guys doing the wrong things, not being accountable, not doing things the way like ‘Temple tough’ football is. It’s my job to hold them accountable and hold myself to that same high standard.”
Grayson Mains, the team’s starting center for the last two seasons, transferred to Temple from South Carolina before the 2024 season and was also selected by his teammates to be a single-digit player this season.
He too, understands the importance of continuity and team culture, not only for the success of the program, but for the health of the locker room. He says leaders, like Clarke, himself, and other returning upperclassmen who have been around the program, “know what a bad culture on a team is like” and added that this year “we know what we do and don’t want to see, and just how to push guys the right way.”
Grayson Mains (center) helps up his quarterback during Temple’s game against Tulane last season.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
“Coach Keeler’s big thing has really been about accountability, and I think I’ve seen it a lot from the players,” said Mains. “Players holding players accountable, and being a lot more respectful to each other. … [We’re] not taking everything personal, because we all know that we’re one team and we’re all fighting for the same goal.”
Clarke’s leadership hasn’t been just noticed by his teammates. Offensive coordinator Tyler Walker, part of a coaching staff that was also fully retained from last season, called his tight end “the epitome of a single digit.”
“He’s been in the shoes that a lot of these young guys have been in,” said Walker. “He’s been [at Temple] through the ups and downs, and he’s been through coaching transitions. He’s been a backup. He’s been a freshman, and now he’s also been the guy. … He’s super humble. He wants to be great. He wants to be coached. He wants to be coached hard.
“He sets expectations for himself, and he brings other guys around him, with him. And that’s the sign of a good leader.”
‘Captain’s practices’
During the summer, coaches are not allowed to administer nor watch practices, according to NCAA rules. But that didn’t stop players from getting work in, led by Clarke and others.
Clarke and Mains each credit the player-run practices for bonding the team together, and it ultimately set the tone for their expectations this season on North Broad.
“The biggest emphasis to the transfers that weren’t here [last year] was, ‘Hey, this team’s been through a lot and experienced a lot, and we’re so close to turning this thing around.’ We’re all pushing the same direction and [we told them], ‘It’s time to get in and help us,’” said Clarke. “So [we were] getting those extra captain’s practices in with Army and Navy looks and [their] triple option offense, so that our defense understands what the read keys look like and can develop those habits early, so when we get to the game weeks, it’s not a complete surprise.
K.C. Keeler has had winning records in the second season of previous stops at Rowan, Delaware, and Sam Houston State.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
“It’s just about, ‘Hey, what’s going to get us over the edge?’ It’s going to be efficient football from the offense. It’s going to be able to stop the run from the defense and just play one complete football game between special teams, offense, and defense.”
Added Mains: “Over the summer we pushed each other [so much harder]. … We were just able to do so much more, and then especially those summer days, like our OTA days, when coaches weren’t in the building, everybody respects [the leaders] enough to lead those player-run practices on the field and truly get really good work done.”
At his previous three stops, second seasons for Keeler have been notably fruitful. At Division III Rowan in 1994, the team finished 6-3; in 2003, Delaware won the Football Championship Subdivision championship; and at Sam Houston State in 2015, Keeler led his team to the FCS semifinal.
After two one-point losses last fall that prevented the Owls from making a bowl game, their players are ready to turn the page.
“We talk every day about winning championships,” said Mains. “This team hasn’t been to a bowl game in a while and hasn’t seen that American Conference trophy in a while. We’re all striving every single day to be as great as we can to make those goals [happen].”
Added Chase: “I think we got something special here. It speaks about our program. It speaks about coach K.C. Keeler and the vision that everyone truly believes that Temple football is going to be successful.”
Several Penn State players and coaches will experience the famous Beaver Stadium atmosphere for the first time on Saturday.
Head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser expressed their excitement about taking the field and touted their confidence in this Nittany Lions team, particularly quarterback Rocco Becht.
Here’s what we observed ahead of Penn State’s matchup against Marshall (3:30 p.m., FS1).
Week 1 emotions
Mouser described the season opener as a “dream come true.”
He never thought he would call plays for Penn State after starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Campbell at Iowa State in 2016.
“It’s a dream come true to go out there on stage like this,” Mouser said. “It’ll be an emotional moment for me.”
Campbell said he was brought to tears the first time he saw Beaver Stadium after being hired as Penn State’s head coach. His excitement for Saturday, however, is more about watching his team reap the benefits of their hard work this offseason.
“Sometimes I wear my emotions on my sleeve, which is not maybe my greatest quality, so I apologize for that early,” Campbell said. “The reality is, when you love the sport and you love to watch your guys, and you’ve seen how much they sacrifice for these moments, I’m probably more excited for that, to be able to watch our football team grow forward starting on Saturday. They’ve earned the right to get in the stadium. They’ve earned the right to get on this field.”
Confidence in Becht
Becht hasn’t played a game fully healthy since last September. His stats took a hit as a result, which included a dip in passing yards and touchdowns.
But Penn State’s staff is fully confident in their veteran quarterback and expect him to regain form this season.
Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said Rocco Becht has “control of the offense out there.”Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
“What I always love about Rocco is, Rocco was never trying to be anybody else but the absolute best version of himself,” Campbell said. “I think you’ve seen that in really critical, hard moments, him step up in key situations and win the football game with the ball in his hands.”
Mouser trusts Becht. He involves his quarterback in the game-planning process each week and gives him “full control of the wheel” at the line of scrimmage.
“Most of the time, he goes out there executing to the best of his ability,” Mouser said. “But he does have autonomy and control of the offense out there.”
Injury updates
The status of safety Jeremiah Cooper, tight end Gabe Burkle, and linebacker Alex Tatsch is unclear entering Week 1.
Campbell said Cooper is “probable” for Saturday, while Burkle and Tatsch are “doubtful.”
“All three guys are back on the practice field,” Campbell said. “All three guys are progressing themselves forward. It’s just making sure they’re absolutely prepared to step back on the field. But I think Jeremiah Cooper is probably the closest to that.”
Cooper and Burkle are both rehabbing torn ACLs, after Cooper suffered the injury in late September and Burkle went down in November 2025. Tatsch’s injury, which he suffered leading up to last year’s Pinstripe Bowl, is unknown.
Pennsylvania State University this week announced the opening of the Paterno Family Football Experience Room, named for the school’s iconic — and deeply polarizing — longtime football coach.
The backlash quickly followed.
According to a university news release, the new exhibit — which will be part of the Penn State All-Sports Museum inside Beaver Stadium — will include a slate of features, including Paterno’s original office desk and personal artifacts from his six-decade tenure at the school.
“Penn State Football’s history belongs to generations of student-athletes, coaches, staff, and supporters who helped build this program,” Pat Kraft, Penn State’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said in a statement. “This room gives us an opportunity to preserve that history, present it thoughtfully, and create an experience that connects the proud tradition of Penn State Football with its future.”
The release did not directly address how the university settled on the name of the new exhibit, saying only that the school’s athletics department “received a lead gift from an anonymous donor supporting the creation and naming of the Paterno Family Football Experience Room.”
In an email Wednesday, Leah Beasley, a Penn State deputy athletics director, declined to comment further, directing a reporter to the original news release.
The Paterno Family Football Experience Room is set to open to the public Thursday.
The announcement of the new attraction comes 15 years after Paterno’s coaching career came to an abrupt end, when he was fired in 2011 by Penn State’s Board of Trustees over the program’s handling of child sexual abuse allegations involving longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno died in 2012 at the age of 85.
And on Wednesday, it quickly rekindled the discourse surrounding Paterno’s complicated legacy.
Critics on social media expressed their disbelief at the university’s decision to name the museum after a man who played a role in one of the biggest scandals in college sports history.
“The WHAT Family football experience room!??!?!?!?!?” wrote one user on X.
“Incredibly tone-deaf,” wrote another.
“Yeah I think I’ll pass on the ‘Paterno family football experience room,’” said another.
In an interview Wednesday, Penn State booster Michael Kirschner — who along with wife Patty helped fund the Paterno desk exhibit and historical display in the new project — said he supported the use of the Paterno name.
“I am OK with it,” he said. “Those of us who sit on the Paterno side realize that the character of the man was not such that he would do something like that, and he’s done so much for Penn State that we have an allegiance to him that is lasting.”
Brandon Short, a former Penn State football captain and NFL linebacker who now serves on the school’s Board of Trustees, also praised the announcement.
“As a two-time football captain, PSU Trustee, and Letterman, I’m proud to see the Paterno Family Football Experience Room coming to Beaver Stadium,” Short wrote in a social media post. “Been working on this for a while — grateful it’s finally happening. We Are!”
On the field, Paterno’s success was indisputable. From 1966 to 2011, the coach amassed a 409-136-3 career record, becoming the winningest coach in major college football history. He led the Nittany Lions to two national titles, five unbeaten seasons, and 37 bowl appearances.
But to many, those achievements were far overshadowed by the coach’s role in the case of Sandusky, who was accused of using his association with Penn State football to groom boys for sexual abuse.
Sandusky was eventually convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse involving 10 boys over the span of 15 years. (Last week, a judge agreed to a hearing in the case after a man said he wanted to recant his allegations against Sandusky.)
In a 2012 report commissioned by the university, former FBI Director Louis Freeh found that Paterno, school president Graham B. Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley, and vice president Gary Schultz “failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.”
“The most powerful leaders at the university … repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse,” the report said.
Shortly after the release of the Freeh report, then-Penn State president Rodney Erickson announced that the seven-foot statue of Paterno in front of Beaver Stadium was being removed, calling it “a source of division” and “an obstacle to healing.”
The coach’s name still adorns the university’s main campus library, The Pattee Library and Paterno Library — and many within the Penn State community have remained vocally supportive of the coach and his legacy.
What effect, if any, the exhibit’s name has on prospective interest remains to be seen — though Kirschner, for his part, doesn’t appear overly concerned.
“The lines to see the exhibit,” he predicted, “will be longer than the lines to the Creamery.”
On Christmas mornings while growing up in Northeast Ohio, Matt and Scott Campbell were excited to fulfill what became a yearly tradition. Most kids raced toward the Christmas tree to open presents and celebrate the holiday, but not the two brothers, who were born four years apart. They raced out the door to get a football game in, even when snow covered the ground.
Those games were one-on-one, mano a mano. Matt “had quite an impressive [size] advantage on me,” Scott said. The memory proved instructive of his older brother’s competitiveness, as Matt steps into his third college football head coaching job.
“It was not uncommon to get your favorite football jersey for a Christmas present. And then Riddell was giving out all those football uniforms that came with shoulder pads, leg pants, and helmets,” Scott Campbell told The Inquirer of his earliest football memories with Matt. “Then you go outside [to play against Matt].
“I never won these games.”
Football runs deep for the Campbells. Rick Campbell, Matt and Scott’s father, was a high school coach at Jackson High School in Massillon, Ohio, and later went into administration.
The sport quickly became the center of Matt’s life, too.
He would attend two-a-days with his dad before his school day started.
“My greatest childhood memories are being in the locker room and being on the football field with my dad, watching him lead and coach a football team,” Matt Campbell told The Inquirer in July. “I wanted to help give back and make a difference [as a coach] because so many people had done that for me.”
(function() {
var l2 = function() {
new pym.Parent(‘campbell2’,
‘https://media.inquirer.com/storage/inquirer/projects/innovation/arcgis_iframe/campbell2.html’);
};
if (typeof(pym) === ‘undefined’) {
var h = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0],
s = document.createElement(‘script’);
s.type = ‘text/javascript’;
s.src = ‘https://pym.nprapps.org/pym.v1.min.js’;
s.onload = l2;
h.appendChild(s);
} else {
l2();
}
})();
From those early days in their backyard, to stops at Pittsburgh and Mount Union as a player, then coach, and several other stops before landing his highest-profile opportunity yet at Penn State, Campbell has remained the same, his former teammates, players, and coaches across his 24-year coaching career say.
“Anybody that knew younger Matt or played with him or crossed paths with him, I don’t think anybody is surprised [by] the success he’s had,” Indianapolis Colts tight end coach Tom Manning said by phone shortly after Campbell was hired at Penn State. “Obviously, he’s a very good football guy in terms of X’s and O’s, but I think the thing that makes Matt dynamic is his ability to inspire others, certainly a great teacher, but he has this ability to have a relationship with everybody that is authentic and real.
“He creates this culture of unification, of toughness, of having a chip on your shoulder. And I think that every person that’s ever played [in] his football program or coached for him, they just feel like they’re part of something a little bit bigger than themselves.”
Matt Campbell (center) makes a tackle during a game for Mount Union during his playing days.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
Embracing the ‘abnormal’
Campbell, now 46, developed into a standout defensive end at Perry High School in the 1990s. Matt was coached there by Keith Wakefield, who is “as inspirational as anybody in his life,” Scott said.
Out of high school, he accepted a scholarship from Pitt, but after the team went 2-9 his freshman season in 1998, he transferred to Division III Mount Union — a move that not only defined his playing and coaching career, but moved him closer to home.
Campbell won three D-III titles from 1999 to 2002 at Mount Union, was named an All-American twice, and was the Ohio Athletic Conference defensive lineman of the year in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002. But it was during his playing days there, under legendary coach Larry Kehres and alongside lifelong friends and coaching contemporaries, where Campbell first showed an inkling toward his future career.
Matt Campbell played defensive line at Division III school Mount Union after spending his freshman season at Pitt.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
“The connection of understanding the value of ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,’ and you go back and you say, ‘Man, why? What made the great coaches that you had impactful in your life?’” Campbell said. “It was a transformational experience rather than a transactional journey. And you’re talking about two of the winningest coaches in the history of Ohio high school football, and certainly in all of college football [in Wakefield and Kehres].
“I think their greatest gift was their gift to connect … and find a way to help make their players better, because their belief [of], ‘Man, they cared about them and they wanted to have a real relationship with them.’ So I think that foundation has been huge.”
Often understated about Campbell’s background is how impactful he was on the field for the perennial title contender. His 182 assisted tackles and 55 tackles for loss rank fourth in school history, his 26 career sacks are seventh, and he is 19th in total tackles (256).
Matt Campbell played and coached at Division III Mount Union.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
His on-field success, though, was anchored by film study. Campbell would know “the play that was coming by whether it was the formation or certain motions that they do into the boundaries, and he was calling the plays out,” said Scott, who joined his older brother on Mount Union’s football team in 2002. Campbell’s teammates also took notice.
“All of them knew the way that Matt prepared for football games was abnormal,” Scott said.
But what made what Matt was doing abnormal?
“I don’t think it’s uncommon for a player to be obsessed at watching film,” Scott said. “Some people get really good at honing their skills and they want to do it. It’s abnormal when they bring people along with them. So when you might get a kid, like a very talented defensive tackle … and some of these guys that he played with, they’re meeting on a Sunday night and doing hard core [film study] because they want to be ready for the next week.
“When you have gravitational pull to bring the people that either you’re leading, which we are seeing it with him as a coach, or the ones that you’re going to war with as a football player … for them to match your intensity, they were buying into that and they saw, ‘Well, Campbell’s doing that. We have to do it.’”
Added Manning, Matt’s teammate for two years at Mount Union: “He was always in the film room. He was always trying to find an edge, in terms of being a player, and he was a guy that was probably more talented than most of the people that he played, and he still had the work ethic and the attention to detail as a player that I think helped him separate himself even further.”
Matt Campbell was twice named to the College Football All-America team and named Ohio Athletic Conference’s defensive lineman of the year at Mount Union.Courtesy of Cockrill’s Studio
‘Just as authentic’
When Campbell finished his playing career at Mount Union in 2002, he went to Bowling Green to work as a graduate assistant, but returned to Mount Union in 2005 and was its offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the next two seasons.
The program won back-to-back titles, with a staff that included Eagles coach Nick Sirianni (2004 to 2005), Campbell’s college teammate and former roommate, as defensive backs coach in that first year. Connecticut coach Jason Candle (2003 to 2008), another former teammate, and Syracuse defensive coordinator Vince Kehres (2000 to 2019), Larry Kehres’ son, were on the staff both seasons.
Campbell returned to Bowling Green for two more seasons before landing at Toledo in 2009, first as an offensive line coach and run game coordinator. By 2012, he was the program’s head coach at 32 years old, making him the FBS’s youngest coach at the time.
Colts tight ends coach Tom Manning was teammates with Matt Campbell for two years at Mount Union.Phelan M. Ebenhack
What impressed Manning, who also worked at Toledo as a graduate assistant (2009) and later as its director of football operations and offensive line coach, was how quickly Campbell connected with players and recruits.
“What I really recognized the most was that he was different in recruiting, [he had a] dynamic personality, but I was always impressed, and probably what stuck out the most was that when he had recruits, whether up on campus or visiting him, he had a real relationship with a ton of kids,” Manning said. “I was like, ‘Man, I don’t understand how this guy after just a couple brief contacts, has the ability to know so much about him, have real conversations with him.’ … I knew Matt as a younger guy, and now I knew him in the professional world. I was like, ‘Man, the biggest thing about Matt is he’s just as authentic as he was the day that I met him.’”
And that started with his own teammates. Mount Union was “a player-led program,” and Campbell — along with other leaders like Sirianni, Candle, and Kehres — would open their house and “nurture the young kids because that’s the next generation of leaders in that program.”
Jason Candle followed Matt Campbell to Toledo in 2009 as slot receivers/tight ends coach.Carlos Osorio
“That’s what that whole program was,” Scott said. “It was a program that was giving way before we even knew it was giving to us.”
Matt Campbell worked closely with Candle, who followed him to Toledo in 2009 as slot receivers/tight ends coach, especially when the former assumed play-calling duties under Tim Beckman.
Candle, who considers Campbell a “true friend” and a “great mentor,” recalled the early “camaraderie of the young assistant coaches that we had at the time.”
“Lots of times you don’t get to work with or alongside with or for your college teammates,” Candle said. “And we’ve been through a lot of battles together as players and certainly as young assistant coaches. [Matt’s] been a guy that I’ve learned a lot of football from and a guy that has certainly earned the right to lead one of the top programs in the country.”
Campbell went 9-4 in his first season leading Toledo, and he compiled a 35-15 overall record before moving on to Iowa State at 36 years old.
Matt Campbell compiled a 35-15 overall record while at Toledo.Nick Wass
Campbell “surrounded himself with young and hungry people,” Manning said, particularly on his offensive staffs at Toledo — which featured future Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield, future Auburn coach Alex Golesh, and Candle. But it was Campbell “doing things the right way” and never being “anybody that he’s not” that stood out.
“Working for him is was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” said Manning, who worked with Campbell for a total of 12 years between Toledo and Iowa State. “You felt like you were doing something. … You were coaching the whole player. It was about character. It was about teaching kids attitude and effort, the ability to be consistent, and to give a little bit more themselves and to play in a unified front — that’s what he does so well.”
Matt Campbell was the head coach at Toledo from 2012 to 2015.David Richard
‘Dog mentality’
In the 10 years before Campbell took over Iowa State, the program had just one winning season and had finished with more than seven wins once since 2000.
He accomplished those milestones by Year 2. In 2017, the Cyclones went 8-5, their best record in 16 years, and upset No. 3 Oklahoma, 38-31, a memory that is forever etched in the mind of Manning, who was the team’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
“That week, we kind of put in a whole new defense,” Manning said. “We had our middle linebacker who [also] was a quarterback. He played about 40% of the snaps at quarterback. He’s playing both ways. We got a walk-on quarterback who essentially ends up winning us the game, and [Matt’s] belief the whole week, his belief during the game, never wavered. A lot of guys tell themselves like, ‘Hey, we’re going to win this game.’ My man thought we’re going to win the game the entire week, and then we end up winning the game.
Matt Campbell became the Iowa State’s all-time winningest coach.Matthew Putney
“… And to me, it was culture over scheme. Maybe our players collectively weren’t as talented and as good, but, ‘Hey, if we’re united, we have this culture of winning, we do things the right way.’”
That unwavering belief was reflected by his players, too. Among them was former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy, a four-year starter who could sense Campbell’s “loyalty” and praised his former coach “who had a vision for [him in] place.”
“Coach Campbell’s coaching style is huge on culture. It’s important because he sets up an organization that is able to withstand adversity, the good, the bad,” said Purdy, who’s now the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback. “And it’s all about being a real team that trusts in each other, goes through things with each other. And then at the end of the day, he is going to prepare us better than anybody in the country in terms of scheme and making sure our bodies are right for a long season.”
Former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy gets a hug from Matt Campbell against TCU on Nov. 26, 2021.Charlie Neibergall
Those Iowa State teams often punched above their weight. Campbell’s highest-ranked recruiting class with the Cyclones was the Class of 2026, which was 48th before he departed for Penn State, taking much of that class with him.
Wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who played three seasons at Iowa State from 2020 to 22, said Campbell recruited players that were “like-minded.”
“Everybody went to Iowa State either because you were underlooked, you weren’t valued, or just people thought [other players] were better,” said Hutchinson, who’s now on the Houston Texans with four other former Cyclones who played for Campbell. “We all had like a dog mentality — and I felt like that’s Coach Campbell’s mentality. It’s like the rough side of the mountain. … He wanted guys who have something to prove and had a chip on their shoulder.”
Matt Campbell congratulates former Iowa State wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson on his touchdown against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 3, 2022.Matthew Putney
There were plenty of highs in his 10-year run at Iowa State: Two Big 12 championship appearances (2020, 2024), the most wins in a two-year stretch (19 wins across 2024 and 2025) and double-digit wins for the first time in program history. Twelve of his 17 Associated Press Top 25 wins came in that time frame, and he became the program’s winningest coach.
Even in the down years — Campbell and Iowa State missed bowl games just twice in 10 years, once in his debut season (2016) and another in 2022 — Hutchinson says his former coach “never let the success or the failures define him as a coach.”
“He’s taken them all on the chin,” Hutchinson said. “When we’ve had the greatest success, he was there. He still had the same motto even when we started [struggling] a little bit. He was still the same guy every day. And I think when your head coach is the same guy, and he doesn’t get frazzled by the success or the failures — it’s going to bleed into the into the team.”
Matt Campbell led Iowa State to two Big 12 championship appearances.Charlie Neibergall
‘The best version of me’
Campbell will emerge from the Beaver Stadium tunnel for the first time this weekend, marking the next chapter for him and the program. His team has 24 former Iowa State players who followed him to Happy Valley.
At the root of his confidence in leading Toledo, Iowa State, and now Penn State is what he learned from his father, Wakefield, and Kehres, his coaching mentors: “Not trying to be somebody else.”
“I love learning. I love being humble and growing, but I’m just trying to be me, the best version of me,” Campbell said. “What I found is we’ve been able to build trust, loyalty, togetherness in our football program, whether it was at Toledo, whether it’s at Iowa State, and obviously that’ll be a great challenge as we build this Penn State program.
Matt Campbell during Penn State’s first practice of training camp on Aug. 5.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
“The attitude and the effort and the consistency to show up every day, and be able to be the same person every day, and allowing your staff and the players on the team to know exactly what they’re going to get … I think those are what I learned and took as a player and a coach from [Kehres and Wakefield], and it’s what I’ve tried to emulate everywhere I’ve been as a football coach.”
His former players, Purdy, Hutchinson, and offensive lineman James Neal III, have no doubts Campbell is ”going to give [Penn State] everything he has” to help it reach new heights. It begins with Marshall on Saturday (3:30 p.m., FS1).
Scott, who joined Wakefield at a Penn State practice on Aug. 13, says his older brother is doing “what he loves.” And it’s why he believes Campbell has sustained success throughout his career.
“If somehow you’re able to get, say, the 400, 500 people that at some point came across Matt Campbell at Mount Union College that played with him or whatever, I would probably say in the high 95 percentile range, every one of them would have told you he was going to be a head coach and a successful head coach at some point,” Scott said. “Matt’s elite trait that he has is that he is beyond competitive.
“He just doesn’t say, ‘We’re going to do this’ because why else would you do it? No. Matt envisions this and believes it. He’s not going to tell you if he doesn’t [believe it.].”
The Matt Campbell era will officially begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Marshall in Beaver Stadium.
It’s hard to say what Penn State could achieve this year, with plenty of new players and coaches expected to blend with the guys who stuck around.
But after spring and fall camp, there’s more of a clear picture of how this team will take shape. With that being said, here are five things to know about the Nittany Lions ahead of their 2026 campaign.
While fifth-year senior Rocco Becht isn’t one of the big names in college football this season, he’s one of the most productive returning quarterbacks.
The Iowa State transfer won 26 games as the starting quarterback for the Cyclones over the past three seasons, the most of any returning starter in the country. Becht has thrown for 9,274 yards across his career with 64 touchdowns and a 60.7% completion rate.
Rocco Becht is the winningest returning quarterback in college football.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
Last year was Becht’s least productive season as a starter at Iowa State — he finished with 2,584 passing yards, compared to his 3,505 in 2024. In October 2025, he suffered an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder, then in November, he tore the labrum in his left shoulder that required offseason surgery.
Now, Becht is fully healthy after being limited in the spring and ready to bounce back from his less-than-ideal campaign last year.
“I think Rocco’s in a completely different space than I’ve seen him really in his career,” Campbell said on Aug. 20. “What Rocco brings to the table is a guy that’s already gone through the highs of college football, the lows of college football. He’s been in the same system now, going into his fifth year, and he’s played at an elite clip every day.”
Iowa State influx
Campbell brought 24 players with him from Iowa State, and that doesn’t even include those from his 2026 recruiting class who wound up signing with him at Penn State.
Eleven of those transfers are projected starters, with six on offense and five on defense. Becht is the most notable, but junior safety Marcus Neal Jr., senior running back Carson Hansen, senior tight end Benjamin Brahmer, redshirt senior safety Jeremiah Cooper, and wide receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen are also set for big roles.
Carson Hansen (21), a transfer from Iowa State, should play a big role in Penn State’s offense this season.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
Most of Penn State’s offensive coaching staff came from Iowa State as well, including offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Taylor Mouser, offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters.
However, with the large contingent of former Iowa State players, the biggest question mark is whether they can adapt to playing in the Big Ten.
Manageable schedule
FanDuel has Penn State’s win total set at 9.5, as does nearly every other sportsbook. Its odds to win the national championship are plus-7000, while its odds to win the Big Ten are plus-1800.
So why do the Nittany Lions have a high win total if their odds to achieve anything of magnitude are so low?
Their schedule is incredibly favorable. Penn State avoids preseason AP Poll No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, and No. 6 Indiana, with its three hardest matchups coming against No. 14 Southern California, No. 16 Michigan, and No. 17 Washington.
The Nittany Lions also play three of the four teams with the lowest projected win totals in Maryland (5.5), Northwestern (5.5), and Purdue (3.5), according to FanDuel. Wisconsin and Minnesota are the other two Big Ten games they’ll play, with both holding projected win totals of 6.5.
Penn State can easily go 10-2 in Campbell’s first season and would just need to win one of its three tough matchups. If that’s the case, 10 wins could be good enough to make the College Football Playoff as a Big Ten team.
Deep running back room
Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen led Penn State’s backfield for the last four seasons, so a big change is coming in 2026 as both moved on to the NFL.
Hansen, Ohio State transfer James Peoples, returning redshirt sophomore Quinton Martin Jr., and returning redshirt junior Cam Wallace will fill the room.
All four could see meaningful minutes this year, but Hansen will likely lead the way, as running backs coach Savon Huggins said he would turn to the senior in a fourth-and-1 situation.
Penn State running back James Peoples transferred in this offseason from Ohio State.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
Peoples, Martin, and Wallace have vastly improved this offseason, according to Huggins, but still need to be more consistent if they want to challenge Hansen for the top spot on the depth chart.
“[They] all have had success and some of them haven’t,” Huggins said. “I told them all, ‘Listen, I don’t decide [your impact], you guys do,’ and that’s the cool thing about the competition. I want to see what these other guys do, and they’ve all done a great job when they actually do that. Some of them haven’t come through, but I think it’s all learning experiences.”
Spring to fall evolution
When Penn State began spring practice, time was spent building chemistry, learning new playbooks, and forming a team identity.
Fast-forward to fall camp, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said players are speaking more confidently in meetings about his scheme, and Campbell said they learn more about this team “every single day.”
“We’re growing. Every single day is different,” Becht said. “For all of us, we’re just continuing to be on the same page, continuing to help make that relationship on and off the field, and continuing to grow day in and day out.”
